


A Heart in the Right Place

by a1_kitkat



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Belmanes Flirting, Established Forlex, F/M, M/M, Not Happy Michael
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:54:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25702384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a1_kitkat/pseuds/a1_kitkat
Summary: Gregory is happy for his brother; Isobel is upset for her’s. She appeals for Greg’s help in getting Michael and Alex back together but maybe he can change her mind?
Relationships: Forrest Long/Alex Manes, Isabel Evans/Gregory Manes
Comments: 13
Kudos: 61





	A Heart in the Right Place

**Author's Note:**

> This was intended as a Forlex fic but basically became an Isobel/Greg piece with a side of ‘blink-and-miss-it’ Forlex.  
> So I decided to save it for Isobel Evans Appreciation 2020 - Day 3 (Prompt: Relationships)
> 
> Thank you to pippsmcgee on tumblr for the beta!!!

He needed to head back to the reservation; he’d been away long enough already and he missed his students, his laid back lifestyle. He’d stayed for Alex and, in part, for Flint but mostly for Alex. His baby brother needed him right now or so he’d believed.

After CrashCon, their dad’s memorial, Flint’s recovery, Greg knew it was time to go home but a part of him wanted to stay, felt he _needed_ to stay. The first few weeks he’d stayed in his childhood home, not for the nostalgia or the happy memories, just the convenience until Alex had asked for his company at his place instead. 

Greg had now been at Alex’s house for almost three weeks and he was beginning to wonder if he was becoming more of a hindrance than a help… Especially whenever Forrest would show up. Twice he’d been on the porch, reading a book when the blue-haired historian had rocked up with food for three and an overweight beagle in tow. Forrest was kind, friendly, accommodating. He never made Greg feel like a third wheel although he didn’t protest whenever Greg asked permission to take Buffy for a walk.

Another time, he was half asleep on the couch and didn’t even hear the knock at the front door but he heard the whispers of his brother and his boyfriend as they tried not to disturb him. His slumber was interrupted by a very heavy dog trying to climb into his lap.

On this particular sunny afternoon, Forrest and Buffy had come by for lunch and Greg decided to make himself scarce by going for a very long, leisurely stroll. When he opened the front door to step outside, Isobel Evans was standing on the stoop, she looked as surprised as he did but mostly that he’d caught her off guard.

“Well, well, our paths cross again,” he greeted her with a smile. “The Legendary Isobel Evans.”

She reached up, lifted her sunglasses from her face and perched them upon the top of her head as she eyed him up and down. Her gaze felt like she was sizing him up, appraising him. It wasn’t like he could possibly be threatening to her, not with her alien powers… and the fact that he was a true gentleman.

“Cute,” she greeted him with a half-cock of her head and a small smile.

“Thank you,” he replied with another smile.

“I was talking about the dog.” 

Isobel nodded down at Buffy who had promptly rolled over and closed her eyes when she realized they wouldn’t be walking anywhere in the immediate future.

“Really? I kinda figured you for a cat person,” Greg added.

“No, you didn’t.”

“No, I really didn’t.”

“When did Alex get a dog?” Isobel asked, as though suddenly realizing.

“She came in a package deal with a short, blue-haired historian.”

Her eyes darted from the beagle on the floor to meet Greg’s gaze before she slowly nodded her head in understanding.

“Oh, I see.” 

“Can I help you with something Ms. Evans?”

She smiled and shoved her hands into the pockets of her lightweight cardigan. 

“We need to talk,” Isobel said, very matter of factly.

“I thought that’s what we were doing?”

“Stop beating about the bush,” she snapped almost impatiently.

“I don’t even know what bush you’re talking about!”

Isobel held her hand up, placed her finger to his lips to silence him but all Greg could do was look into her deep, determined eyes. The idea of speaking completely vanished from his head until she removed her hand and he felt his heart rate return to normal.

“We need to talk about your brother,” she stated. “And my brother.”

“What’s Max got to do with anything?” Greg frowned in confusion.

“Not Max, _Michael_!” she hissed.

Greg sighed, tugged on Buffy’s leash to make her stand up and they stepped outside. Isobel took a step back, waiting.

“Look, I know he’s going through some stuff right now,” Greg started.

“We all are!” she snapped.

“But _don’t_ bring my brother into it.”

“He’s _already_ in it! When they wanted Michael to build a _bomb_ , they took Alex to make him do what they wanted. Not me, not Max, not Maria, _Alex_! What does that tell you?”

Greg sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“Isobel, Alex and Michael… They’re not… Not like _that_ anymore,” he told her.

“Like what?”

“Lovesick teenagers! They’re grown men with very, very grown up issues to work through.”

“Your father pulled a gun on Michael and you stepped in front of it.”

“So?”

“So, don’t you see it? They belong together! Michael is heartbroken and now that he knows what you were willing to do to protect him _for_ Alex… I mean, your Great Uncle risked his life to protect Michael’s mother.”

“What’s your point? Why did you come here today, Isobel?” he looked directly into her eyes and hoped for an honest answer.

“I told you; they belong together,” Isobel insisted. “And it’s up to us… You and Me… to make that happen.”

“No, it’s not.”

He stepped around her, grasped Buffy’s leash and started along the drive. Isobel immediately hurried after him. 

“How can _you_ of all people say that?” she pressed. “Your life, your childhood was hard enough but even you know it was nothing on the life Alex had. Don’t you want him to be happy?”

Greg stopped in his tracks and turned around. To her credit, Isobel took a step back when she saw the venom in his eyes but he lashed out with words.

“You don’t get to talk about _my_ childhood,” he said to her. “You got adopted into a loving family, raised with a caring brother and two parents who were always there for you. Maybe it sucked, not knowing who your real parents were, maybe it didn’t. Maybe it sucked having powers you had to keep hidden, maybe it sucks living a constant lie...But that does not give you the right to judge me or my family for the life _we_ were forced to endure.”

“Greg-”

“No, Isobel; I may be in awe of you but doesn’t mean I have to bow down to you.”

“Whoa!”

He watched as her nostrils flared but he wasn’t afraid. He knew she could break his neck without laying a finger on him but he didn’t flinch.

“I came here to talk to you,” she started.

“You came here to meddle,” he replied. “And I’m not going to let you mess with my brother. Not after _everything_ he’s been through.”

“You mean… You’ve all been through.”

His shoulders slumped and he sighed at her simple yet heavy statement. He stared down at his feet, Buffy had already laid down for a rest; she seemed fine with the realization they were not getting their walk today. Greg wrapped the leash around his fingers, nervously, just for something to do with his hands.

“He was still your dad,” Isobel whispered, very gently.

“And I killed him,” Greg choked on the words as he blinked back tears. He shouldn’t be upset, he’d done the right thing.

She slowly reached out and placed her hand over his. It was enough for him to stop fidgeting with the leash.

“It’s okay to grieve someone who wasn’t… who you thought they were,” she said. “I… had the same… conflict after my husband died.”

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“Don’t be; he was a mind controlling, body snatching, serial killer.”

“But you married him,”

“I loved him… or I thought I did. Maybe.”

Isobel started to pull her hand away but Greg reached for it, caught her wrist and looked into her eyes. She paused, stopped moving away from him; he curled his fingers around hers.

“You and I are living proof you can love someone and not like them or want to be with them,” he said. “Love’s a funny thing; it finds you when you least expect it, when you don’t want it to, when you’re not actively looking for it. Sometimes it goes away and sometimes it doesn’t… but it can evolve, it changes you… for the better? For the worse? Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it isn’t there… you can’t see it but you can _feel_ it.”

“Greg-”

“Follow me?”

“What?” She frowned.

“Please, Isobel? There’s something I’d like you to see.”

Greg held her gaze, and her eyes were full of questions. He wondered if he unsettled her in some way. She was the one with the powers, supernatural and effeminate, but her lip curled into a hint of a smile and she nodded her head, silently consenting to whatever he may be asking of her. Greg smiled reassuringly at her then silently offered up Buffy’s leash. She made a face, but took the leash from him.

He nudged Buffy with his foot and she yawned before slowly climbing to her feet. Her snout turned towards the street but Greg directed Isobel back into the house.

She’d never set foot inside Alex’s home before; never had reason to. Nor did she ever think the first time would be while holding his older brother’s hand but they’d had a moment. She was certain there was _something_ in the air between them. He’d asked her simply to follow him inside and she had. 

What powers did he possess to make her trust him? Were they the same ones Alex had used to enthrall Michael all these years?

She didn’t say a word as she allowed him to silently guide her through the house. She didn’t even look around, her snooping instinct not once kicking in as she followed Greg. The pull from the overweight dog on the leash barely even registered. Then Greg pulled her towards the window that overlooked the backyard.

“What do you see?” Greg whispered in her ear.

She turned her head just enough to meet his eyes.

“Look, and tell me what you see,” he said.

*

The yard wasn’t huge but it was well maintained with a lot of vastly colored flowers, a barbecue was along one fence and a washing line was down the back. Off to the side was an oversized, round daybed. Big enough for two or two plus a chubby dog.

The pillows were arranged just right and Alex was curled on his side, propped up by the pillows, his prosthetic cast aside.

Curled opposite him, his own legs entwined with Alex’s, his bad dye job a strange mix of green and blue under the sunlight, was Forrest. Their bodies were pressed so close together, heads huddled equally as close. There was room for them to be further apart yet their bodies just fit together in a way that didn’t look out of place on the daybed.

It was their favorite spot in the yard, under the shining rays of sunlight yet protected by the shade. They used to start further apart and eventually gravitate closer, until they were touching but now they just huddled together the moment they sit down.

Forrest’s hand slowly trailed up Alex’s arm, gently touched his cheek and Alex’s entire face lit up as he laughed then leaned forward for a kiss. They both moved towards the other at the exact same time, meeting halfway, their lips touched and time appeared to freeze as they both lost themselves in each other’s tender embrace.

*

Isobel took a single step back and turned to look at Greg. He was beaming at the intimate display in the backyard and she felt like they were intruding on something private, romantic, beautiful. Greg was right; Alex was _happy_.

“What do you see?” Greg whispered.

“Two people, very much in love,” Isobel admitted.

“I know you think your heart is in the right place,”

“Michael is hurting and I don’t know how to help him.He told me the only time he’s ever truly happy is when he’s with Alex,”

“I get it, I really do,” he turned to look outside again. At the smile on Alex’s face. “Someone you love is in pain and you want to take that pain away.”

“Yeah,”

“But at what cost? Would you really want me to compromise Alex’s happiness for Michael’s?”

“You stepped in front of a gun for Michael!”

Greg finally turned his complete attention to her.

“I did that for Alex,” Greg stated. “Trying to make up for the times I didn’t stand up to dad, stand up for him, to protect him… Isobel, you love Michael so much and I know a part of Alex does too… but Alex is the happiest I’ve ever seen him and that’s all I’ve ever wanted for him. I’m sorry that I can’t help you,”

“No, don’t be sorry… You actually helped a lot, sorry I troubled you.”

She handed the leash back and turned to walk away.

“Isobel?” He called after her. She stopped. “Feel free to trouble me anytime you want… Like, tonight at 7pm? At the Crashdown?”

“Maybe,” she replied, her back still to him but he could see the smile on her face thanks to the mirror on the opposite wall. “Guess you’ll just have to wait and see.”

Greg held back a grin and waited until he heard the front door close before he leaned down and scooped Buffy into his arms.

“Sorry, Buff, guess I’ll be forsaking you for another tonight,” he told her before finally walking to the front door.

Greg and Buffy made it to the street and took a left. If they’d turned to the right they would’ve seen Isobel now sitting in Michael’s truck.

*

“So?” Michael asked her. “How did it go?”

“Fine,” she replied as casually as she could.

“That’s it? Fine?”

“Take me home, Michael, I have a date to prepare for.”

“A _date?_ ”

“Yes, _Michael_. A date. Is that a problem?”

“Nah, why would I _possibly_ have a problem with you going on a date with Alex’s brother?”

She narrowed her eyes at him, annoyed at the sarcasm dripping from his tone.

“Jealousy, maybe?” She pressed. “I have a date and you don’t?”

“I’ve _been_ dating; I was in a relationship, remember that?”

“And now you’re not because Alex sang his heart out to you in a beautiful, romantic song and you chose to leave... that’s on you!”

Isobel turned away from him, folded her arms across her chest and glared out the window. She could feel the anger slowly fading as Michael slumped against the steering wheel. Isobel watched as he closed his eyes and took a slow breath.

“Just…” he paused, voice barely audible. “Tell me I did the right thing… he’s happy?”

“He’s…” she unfolded her arms and reached out, placed her hand on his shoulder. “He’s the happiest Greg’s ever seen him.”

There was a heavy pause; Michael opened his eyes.

“Good, great,” he hastily wiped the tear from his cheek. “Great, good.”

“Like you said… it’s not your time.”

“But it will be. Someday.”

Michael started the car; Isobel watched in silence. She hoped he was right but she couldn’t shake the image of Alex and Forrest smiling in each other’s arms. 

Someone was going to get hurt; she could just feel it.


End file.
